WR Nagging Injuries/Suspensions

Allen, Keenan - LAC

Injuries have severely impacted Keenan Allen the past two years, and we hope he's back at 100 percent this season. He suffered a torn ACL in Week 1 last year, which came after he had a lacerated kidney that limited him to eight games in 2015. He's expected to be ready for training camp, and Allen should be drafted as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues. He has to prove he can stay healthy and now work in a crowded receiving corps, which features Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin, Hunter Henry and Antonio Gates. But Allen is the No. 1 option in the passing game, and he's been great when healthy. Prior to getting hurt in 2015, Allen had 67 catches for 725 yards and four touchdowns, and if you project that over 16 games he would have finished with 134 catches for 1,450 yards and eight touchdowns. He also had 71 catches for 1,046 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2013. His stats should be somewhere in between those two totals, and Allen is worth drafting in Round 4 in standard leagues and Round 3 in PPR as a fantasy WR2.

Beckham Jr., Odell - NYG

OBJ had what appeared to be a serious injury in the preseason, but it looks like it was just an ankle sprain and he was seen jogging off the field after the game, so we are betting that he'll be set to go week 1, but that sore ankle could slow him down coming out of the gate.

Enunwa, Quincy - NYJ

Quincy Enunwa had a breakout third season in 2016, and everyone thought he was set to build on that performance since he entered training camp as the No. 1 receiver for the Jets with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker gone. However, he suffered a neck injury and is now out for the season.

Fuller, Will - HOU

Will Fuller was set to remain a fixture in the Texans offense because of his incredible speed, but it's the combination of his suspect hands and the boom-or-bust nature of his game that keep him from being a consistent Fantasy hero. Fuller had some big catches to start his career but from Week 3 on was mostly contained by defenses and couldn't put up huge stats because he couldn't hang on to nearly half of his targets. Fuller's potential would have made him worth a late-round pick, but his broken collarbone is expected to keep him out for up to 3 months from early August, so he can safely go un-drafted.

EDELMAN, JULIAN - NE

As far as quarterback-to-receiver connections go, Tom Brady to Julian Edelman rarely gets a lot of notoriety, but that duo has been consistent over the years. In 2016, Brady helped Edelman finish as the No. 22 Fantasy receiver in standard leagues, with 98 catches for 1,106 yards and three touchdowns on 158 targets. He closed the season strong, especially when Rob Gronkowski (back) was hurt, with at least seven Fantasy points in each of his final nine games. He had double digits in targets in six of those outings. However, he was been lost for the season in the Patriots third preseason game due to a knee injury. Look for Chris Hogan to start in his place and for Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola to even see some additional playing time. The Patriots have plenty of other mouths to feed, so the 100+ targets will go to RBs, TEs, and other WRs.

Williams, Mike - LAC

Williams will miss all of training camp due to a back issue. In fact, the Chargers are noncommittal on whether Williams will play at all this season. Proceed with extreme caution if you are contemplating drafting him.

Shepard, Sterling - NYG

Shepard looked like he was seriously injured in training camp after he was carted off the field, but that injury turned out to be an ankle sprain. Reports are that he will be ready to play in week 1, but that hobbled ankle might stop him from being 100% early this season.

Meredith, Cameron - NO

Who was the Bears leading receiver in 2016? Answer: Cameron Meredith. Who did we think was going to be the Bears' leading receiver in 2017? We would have clearly bet on Meredith again,but for his knee injury. The 6-foot-3 wideout was lost for the season in the third week of the preseason. That means Kendall Wright, Kevin White, and Victor Cruz should all see an uptick.

Bryant, Martavis - OAK

Wide receiver Martavis Bryant will provide an incredible element to the Steelers offense. He has 14 touchdowns and has averaged 62.6 yards over 21 career games, which is remarkable. He'll rarely get double-teamed because he'll share the field with Antonio Brown, and his height and exceptional speed will help him come up with touchdowns. Eight of his 14 touchdowns are red-zone scores, after all. Bryant returned from suspension and played in the third preseason game and appeared to show up in shape and with his trademark speed. He's a Fantasy receiver worth grabbing for his boom-or-bust potential as a fantasy WR 2 or 3 depending on how risk adverse or risk accepting you may be. His checkered past means more risk for yet another suspension.